XAVI WANTS TO GIVE LESS MINUTES TO GRANDMASTER – FIVE PLAYERS THAT WOULD BENEFIT FROM IT
As per Diario Sport’s Lluis Mascaro, Xavi’s plan is for Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba to have a new role next season. The coach wants them to play fewer minutes.
We believe that this would benefit five other current or future Barcelona players
Eric Garcia: the young defender is very good in possession and would pair well with Ronald Araujo. The 21-year-old was the third choice in defence this season and could get more opportunities next year.
Andreas Christensen: the centre-back is expected to sign for Barca. Although he might not become an undisputed starter right away, he is a viable option when rotating the squad.
Alex Balde:
the 18-year-old didn’t play that much for the first team this year. However, the more he plays at the top level, the clearer it will become whether Balde has what it takes to replace Alba in the future.
Frenkie de Jong: With Busquets benched, the Dutchman could get more chances to play in the pivot role. De Jong has said that his position at Barca is not ideal, and this would be closer to what Frenkie likes to do on the field.
Franck Kessie:while he is unlikely to play in Busquets’s position, fewer minutes for Sergio would mean more opportunities for Kessie.